Portable dispensing apparatus



Feb. 22, 1938. Q R Y|RAVA 2,109,259

PORTABLE DI SPENS ING APPARATUS Filed April 6, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet lFeb. 22,4 1938. c. R. YiRAvA PORTABLE DISPENS ING APPARATUS Filed Aprile, 1957 $443 47 a 2./ 59 l 4@ l (l J j I' l 4:1 j i X if@ 21T-5Sheets-Shea?I 2 III/I ATTOR NEY6` Patented Feb. 22, 1938 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE 17 Claims.

My invention relates to portable dispensing apparatus for dispensingbeverages and more particularly for dispensing beer.

The .principal object of the invention is to provide an inexpensivesimply constructed portable apparatus capable of dispensing beer orother liquids from conventional cans or containers, such as quitegenerally used by brewers in supplying their family trade.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentas thedescription is considered in connection with the accompanying drawings,in which:

Figure l is a plan view of the dispenser with covers removed;

Figure 2 is a sectional view of outer container showing inner containercoils and clamping device;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the dispenser on line Y3-3of Figure l;

Figure 4 is a plan View showing one of the latching members in clampingposition and showing the beverage can in place;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary section taken on line 5--5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary plan view showing latching member in unlatchedposition;

Figure l is a fragmentary view taken on line 1-1 of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary view partly in section showing one of thelatch members latching the cover to the inner container to seal the samepreparatory to cleaning operations; and

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional view of a modified form of thedispenser.

Referring more particularly to the drawings I denotes a metalliccylindrical container or casing open at its upper end and provided witha readily removable cover 43, held in place by friction or othersuitable means, not shown. The container illustrated and describedherein is preferably of a size to hold a gallon can 2, but it will beunderstood that the container may be made to accommodate either largeror smaller cans, according to the needs of the purchaser. The can 2, issimilar to 'the type now commonly used by brewers to supply the familytrade and is made of any suitable, readily puncturable material, such astin.

Centrally disposed within the container I is an inner cylindrical canholder or container 3 adapted to snugly receive the can 2, ns 4 beingemployed to center the can holder and support the same upon and abovethe bottom wall 5. Bowed vertical leaf springs 6 resiliently hold andcenter the canin place and compensate for slight differences in size ofthe cans. The bottom wall 'l of the holder 3, is formed with a centralopening 8, communicating with a flared fitting 9, to the lower end ofwhich the inlet end of a copper tube I is connected. This tube is coiledaround the can holder 3 and at its upper or outlet end II is connectedto a spigot I2, mounted in the upper end of the container I. A centrallyperforated rubber gasket I3, seated on the bottom wall 'l' over theopening 8 and held in place by a ring I4, serves a purpose presentlydescribed. The annular space or chamber I between the can holder and thecontainer I affords ample roomfor the coils of copper tubing I0 and forcracked ice or other refrigerant I6.

After the can 2 has been inserted in the holder 3, the top and bottomwalls I8 and I9 of the can are punctured and the liquid contents forcedunder pressure up through the coiled tube l0, so that when the spigothandle V2li is turned to open position beer will automatically lflowfrom the spigot I2. Thus a cover member 2l is formed with a downwardlyextending peripheral flange 22 adapted to snugly embrace the upper endof the can holder 3. Fixed to the under side of this member 2| at theaxial center thereof, is a centrally perforated gasket 23, adapted tobear against the top wall of the can. A cylindrical piercing'element ortool 24, comprising a shank 25 terminating at its lower end in a sharppoint 26, projects downwardly through registering openings 21 and 28 inthe cover member 2| and the gasket 23 respectively. The upper end of thepiercing element is enlarged to provide a supporting head portion 29which is secured to the cover by brazing, as at 3D.

Mounted on the top of the cover member 2l is an ordinary bicycle pump 3lcomprising a cylinder 32, piston 33 and piston rod or stem 34. The lowerend of the cylinder is flared to provide a substantial supporting areafor the pump, and this flared portion is welded or brazed to the cover2I, as at 35. The shank 25, of the piercing element 24 is yformed withan axial bore 36 at its upper end, in which a conventional tire valve 31is mounted. A transverse passage 38 in the shank communicating with thebore 36, is pro-vided for a purpose presently described. From theforegoing, it will be noted that the piercing element, pump and covercomprise a single unit.

In practice the point 26 of the piercing tool is placed against theaxial center of the top wall I8 of the can 2 by the user and is thenforcedtherethrough in any suitable manner, such as by bearing down uponor striking the handle 39 with his free hand. After an opening 40 isthus formed the downward movement of the tool is continued in the samemanner until the point 26 forms an opening 4| in the bottom wall of thecan and proceeds down through aligned central openings 42 and 8 ingasket I3 and bottom wall 1 of can holder 3 respectively. The peripheralflange 22 of the cover member 2| snugly embraces the can holder 3,before the point 26 reaches the aperture 4I, and thus serves to guide orpilot the piercing tool in an obvious manner. A cover 43, for thecontainer I, has a central opening 6| which permits of the cover beingslipped over the pump 3|.

Before the cover 43 is put in place on the container I, the cover member2| is clamped tightly to the can holder by means of resilient clampmembers 44, preferably three in number, mounted in U-shaped brackets 45in turn located in the annular space I5 above the coiled tubing I0, andfixed to the opposing walls of the container I and can holder 3, bybrazing 46 and 41 respectively.` Pivoted between the side walls of eachbracket 45, upon a stub shaft 48 is a threaded post 49 upon which theclamp 44 is slidably mounted, the latter being provided with an opening50 for receiving the post. At its lower end the clamp seats on anexpansion spring 5| which resiliently supports the clamp and forces thesame upwardly against washers 52 in turn sleeved over the upper end ofthe post 49 and locked to the top of clamp 44 by a lock nut 53. Securedto the outer edge of clamp 44, by means of a screw or the like 54, is aU-shaped spring 55, which bears against the wall of container I andnormally forces the clamp inwardly or radially toward the can holder,thus causing a hook portion 56 on the upper inner edge of the clamp toengage an upwardly extending peripheral flange 51 on the cover member 2|as shown in Figure 4, when the lock nut 53 is unscrewed. However theclamp has a neutral or Figure 6 position in which the hook portion 56thereof is held out of engagement with the flange 51. 'I'hus the outeredge of the clamp is formed with a latch member or rib 58, which engagesbehind a shoulder or stop 59 formed in one of the side walls of theU-shaped bracket 45 by cutting a slot 60 in the upper edge of one of theside walls of the bracket, as best seen in Figures 4 and 5. Bytightening the nuts 53 the clamps 44 are caused to tightly force therubber gasket 23 against the top of the can 2 around the opening 48punctured therein by the piercing tool 24. A ring like rubber gasket 62of considerably less thickness than the gasket 23, and secured tothebottom face of the can holder cover member 2|, serves a purpose to behereinafter described.

Assuming the parts to be in the position illustrated in Figure 3; thatclamp members 52 have been tightened and cover I6 has been applied tothe container, the user places the contents of can 2 under pressure bymanipulating the pump piston 33 in an obvious manner. Air from cylinder32 is thus forced downwardly around the pin 63 of tire valve 31 and intothe bore 36, from where it passes outwardly through the lateral passage38 and thence downwardly through the punctured opening 4I| into the can.Back pressure exerted against a piston 64, slidably mounted on the pin63, forces the former against a Valve seat 65 when pumping isdiscontinued, thus aloaa preventing the air from escaping back throughthe bore 36 into the pump cylinder.

When sufficient pressure has been built up in the can the liquid will beforced down through punctured aperture 4I in the bottom wall 0f the can;aperture 42 in gasket I3 and opening 8 in the bottom wall 1 of canholder 3 and ythence into the space or chamber 66 formed between theilaredtting 9 and the bottom wall 1.' 'Ihis chamber permits of somelittle expansion thus insuring a free flow into the pipe I0. It alsoaffords a chamber for catching any drippings incident to a rapid changeof cans. As the liquid is dispensed from the spigot I2, the pressurewill of course be correspondingly reduced, and it will therefore benecessary to continue the pumping operation from time to time in orderto obtain an automatic flow whenever the handle 20 is moved to openposition. Practically all liquid will be forced from the can by reasonof the fact that the downwardly punched material 61 offers noobstruction to the free flow of the liquid from the can.

To clean the apparatus, after the can 2 has been emptied, the covermember 2| is removed, the can is discarded and thecan holder is lledwithhot or cold water or if desired a soda solution. The cover member 2|is then replaced and the clamps are moved from their neutral or latchedposition to clamping position and the pump piston 33 is reciprocated.The water under pressure is thus circulated through the apparatus in thesame manner as the beer from can 2. During the cleaning operation itisessential that the gasket 62, which performs no function when beer isbeing dispensed, be tightly clamped against the top of the can holder'to form a tight seal at that point, as disclosed in Figure 8. Byproviding means for latching the clamping members in a neutral orinoperative position it is possible to insert or remove a can from thecan holder with facility and without the necessity of manually holdingthe clamping members during these operations.

In Figure 9 a modified form of the invention is disclosed wherein apiercing element or member 24 is employed which is identical with themember 24 except that the former is shorter than the latter and adaptedonly for puncturing the top wall of the can 2. With this modified formof the apparatus the bottom wall of the can is punctured when the can isforced into the can holder 3, against a fiuted upstanding piercingelement 61 seated upon a fitting 9 similar in construction to thefitting 9 of the preferred form. The bottom wall 1 of the can holder inthis modification is formed with a flanged opening 68 in which upturnedflanges 69 on the base 10 of element 61 snugly seat. A ring shapedgasket 1| seats on the base 1I) and provides a chamber 12 into which thebeer ows through flutes 13 and thence out through openings 14 to andthrough chamber 66 to delivery pipe I0. y

While themethod of puncturing the top wall of the can and placing thecontents ofthelatter under pressure with the Figure 9 modification, aresubstantially the same as that described for the preferred form of myinvention, the following brief description of the former is given: Afterthe can has been forciblyinserted into the can holder and againstpiercing tool 61, the piercing point 26 of the tool 24' is placedagainst the top of the can and the cover member 2| is forced on the canholder in the manner previously described. The pumpl is now operated toplace the 7| Contents of the can under pressurer in thev mannerpreviously described and air is pumped through bore 31, and out throughtransverse passage 38 to the top of the beer can.A

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for dispensing liquid from sealed cans comprising innerandouter spaced receptacles, said inner recep-tacle (adapted to snuglyhold the can, means -for puncturing the top and bottom walls of saidcan, outletmeans for the liquid in the can communicating with said canholder, and means for placing the liquid in said can under air pressureto force said liquid into and through said outlet means.

2. An apparatus for dispensing liquid from sealed cans comprising aholder for the sealed can, a casing enclosing said can holder, liquidoutlet means communicating with said can holder, means for puncturingthe top and bottom walls of said sealed can, and means for placing theliquid in said can under pressure to force the liquid therefrom into andthrough said outlet means.

3. An apparatus for dispensing liquid from sealed cans comprising innerand outer spaced casings, said inner casing providing a holder for thesealed can, means for puncturing the top and bottom Wall of the can, acoiled outlet pipe in the Space between said casings and having an inletend in communication with the interior of said holder, and means forplacing the liquid in said can under pressure to force the liquid intoand through said pipe.

4. An apparatus for dispensing liquid from sealed cans comprising anouter container and an inner container, said inner container of a sizeand shape to snugly hold a sealed can of liquid, a cover for said innercontainer, means on said cover for puncturing the top and bottom wallsof the sealed can, liquid outlet means communicating with the interiorof the can after the can has been punctured, and means on said cover forplacing the contents of the can under pressure to cause said contents toflow into and through said outlet means.

5. An apparatus for dispensing liquid from sealed cans comprising innerand outer spaced casings, said inner casing adapted to snugly hold asealed can, means for forming an air inlet opening and a liquid outletopening respectively in the top and bottom walls of the sealed can, acoiled delivery pipe in the space between said casings and incommunication with said inner casing and means for placing the liquid insaid can under air pressure to force said liquid into said deliverypipe.

6. An apparatus for dispensingliquidfromsealed cans comprising inner andouter spaced casings, said inner casing adapted to snugly hold a sealedcan of liquid, means for simultaneously forming a puncture in the topand bottom wall of the sealed can, an outlet pipe, and means for placingthe liquid contents of the can under pressure to force said liquid intosaid pipe.

7. An apparatus for dispensing liquid from a sealed can comprising innerand outer spaced casings, said inner casing adapted to snugly hold asealed can from which liquid is to be dispensed, a cover for said innercasing, a piercing tool having a shank pointed at one end and of greaterlength than the heighth of the can, the other end of said shank beingconnected to said cover and the lower end of said shank being pointedwhereby the forcible mounting of said cover on said inner casing causesboth the top and bottom walls of 8. An apparatus for dispensing liquidfrom a f sealed can comprising inner kand outer spaced casings, saidinner casing adapted to snugly hold a sealed can from which liquid is tobe dispensed,

a cover for said inner casing, a piercing tool 'having a shank pointedatk oneA end and of greater.y

length than the heighth of the can, theother end of said shank beingconnected to said cover and the lower end of said shank being pointedwhereby the forcible mounting 'of said cover on said inner casing causesboth the top and bottom walls of said can to be punctured, an outletpipe for the liquid in said can, means for pumping air into said can toforce said liquid from the can into said outlet pipe and said lastmentioned means being mounted on said cover.

9. An apparatus for dispensing liquid from sealed cans comprising innerand outer casings, said inner casing adapted to receive a sealed can ofliquid, a cover member for said inner casing, a piercing memberdepending from said cover for puncturing the top and bottom walls ofsaid can when said cover is applied to said inner casing, the upper endof said piercing member having a. chamber therein and an outlet passagefrom said chamber, a check valve in said chamber and a pump o-n saidcover member for pumping air down through said chamber and out throughsaid passage into the top of the can.

l0. An apparatus for dispensing liquid from a sealed can comprisinginner and outer casings, said inner casing adapted to receive a sealedcan of liquid, a cover member for said inner casing, a piercing memberdepending from said cover for puncturing the top and bottom walls ofsaid can when said cover is applied to said inner casing, the upper endof said piercing member having a chamber therein and an outlet passagefrom said chamber, a check valve in said chamber and a pump on saidcover member for pumping air down through said chamber and out throughsaid passage into the top of the can, a spigot on said outer casing, andmeans for placing the bottom of said can in communication with saidspigot.

l1. An apparatus as set forth in claim 9 in which the piercing memberextends snugly through an apertured gasket and in which gasket the topof the can engages.

l2. An apparatus as set forth in claim 9 in which the piercing elementis pointed and uted at its lower end.

13. An apparatus for dispensing liquid from sealed cans as claimed inclaim 9, in which the bottom wall of the inner casing is centrallyapertured and in which a gasket having an aperture aligned with the saidcentral aperture is seated on the bottom Wall of the inner casing forreceiving the lower end of the piercing element.

14. An apparatus as set forth in claim 3 in which an expansion chamberis provided between the inlet end of the outlet pipe and the bottom wallof the inner casing.

l5. An apparatus as set forth in claim 3 in which a ared tting securedto the bottom Wall of the inner casing provides an expansion chamberbetween the inlet end of the outlet pipe and the bottom wall of theinner casing,

16. An apparatus for dispensing liquid from sealed cans comprising innerand outer spaced receptacles, said inner receptacle adapted to snuglyhold the can, a cover member for the inner receptacle, means o'n thecover for -puncturng the top and bottom walls of said can means forforcing liquid from the can after the can has been punctured, clampingmeans provided with means for engaging the peripheral edge of saidcover, for clamping the said cover tightly on said inner receptacle, andmeans for latching said clamping means in a position out of engagementwith said cover.

17. An apparatus for dispensing liquids from sealed cans comprising aholder for the sealed

